Which type of pests do systemic insecticides primarily target?

Systemic insecticides are primarily effective against pests with sucking mouthparts. These types of insecticides are absorbed by plants and travel throughout the plant tissue, allowing them to control pests that feed on the plant's sap, such as aphids, whiteflies, and spider mites. When these insects ingest the sap from the treated plant, they are exposed to the systemic insecticide, which disrupts their physiological processes and ultimately leads to their death.

Chewing mouthpart pests, on the other hand, typically consume plant material rather than sap. While some systemic insecticides may have some effect on these pests if they feed on treated plant parts, they are not their primary target. Systemic insecticides are particularly formulated to target the specific physiological vulnerabilities of pests that suck sap, which makes them an efficient method of controlling such insect populations. This is why the focus is on pests with sucking mouthparts as the correct target of systemic insecticides.